Accelerometers Provide Early Genetic Selection Criteria for Jumping Horses

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic component of the locomotor jumping ability, via a wearable accelerometer sensor, and to estimate the genetic correlation with performance in competition, to introduce such criteria in selection schema. A sample of 1,056 young 3-year-old horses were equipped with a 3-dimensional accelerometer during a free jumping test, in regular breeding shows from 2015 to 2017. Seven variables were extracted from the dorso-ventral acceleration curve for the last three jumps over a double bar obstacle of 1.15 m for the front pole and 1.20 m for the back pole with a 1.20 m spread. Variables were the peaks of forelimbs, hindlimbs, and landing acceleration, the duration between peaks at takeoff , the peak of forelimb acceleration and start of jump, jump duration and duration between the beginning of the impact of forelimbs and the peak at landing. During breeding shows, judges scored balance, strength, style, and reactivity for free jumping and jumping tests under saddle. Jumping competition results were recorded by logarithm of the sum of points earned in each competition. All horses in official competitions were included, i.e., 160,257 horses born in 1997 with a total of 649,491 annual performances. An animal mixed model with complete pedigree over four generations (353,236 horses) were used with fixed effects of jumping test location and date, morning/afternoon, gender, month of birth, rank of jump for accelerometric data, effect of year of competition, combined with age and gender for competition results. As a result, jump duration was the most heritable and repeatable for jump variables: h 2 = 0.16 (0.06), r = 0.52 (0.02), while accelerations were moderately heritable (h 2 = 0.05-0.09, r = 0.39-0.51). Judgement scores were heritable: 0.21 (0.07)−0.33 (0.09) and were highly correlated. Scores during free jumping were genetically correlated to jump duration: 0.71 (0.15)−0.88 (0.16). Both jump duration and judgement scores were genetically correlated to competition performance: 0.59 (0.13) for jump duration, from 0.60 (0.11) to 0.77 (0.12) for scores. Jump duration and judgement scores can be used as early selection criteria. The advantage of the accelerometric measurement is its objectivity and the ease of recording.

Characteristics of the Flight Arc in Horses Jumping Three Different Types of Fences in Olympic Competition

“…Consistent, within-horse jump techniques have been described in the longitudinal studies of Santamaria et al [20,21], who reported that many characteristics of jumping performance, including vertical velocity at takeoff, vertical displacement of the CM during the aerial phase, and aerial phase duration were strongly correlated in the same horses jumping a vertical fence at 6 months and 4 years of age. High reliability and heritability coefficients for kinematic jumping parameters have also been reported in the field of population genetics, further supporting the apparently inherent and repeatable nature of within-horse jump technique [22][23][24][25]. Thus, horses may execute fences using a consistent, individual jump technique, but the effect of different fence heights and widths on within-and between-horse variation in jump technique has yet to be investigated.…”

Comparison of Conformation and Movement Characteristics in Dressage and Jumping Sport Warmblood Mares Based on Point Evaluation and Linear Scoring System

“…However, repeatability for the trait of "height at the withers" was on the medium level, and it was higher than that for the measured height at the withers from the biometric part of the evaluation. As reported earlier [21], measured traits and more objective traits [27,28] are less repeatable and heritable, because some of the variation may be due to judges' knowledge of the catalogue and their subjectivity [9,27,28].…”

“…Horse-breeding societies use semi-objective measures to evaluate conformation and movement [15][16][17]. Objective measures are available [18][19][20][21][22], but they are often difficult to implement within equestrian events. The traditional points system has been criticized because of the lack of agreement with the information on functional performance [23].…”

Inertial Sensor Technologies—Their Role in Equine Gait Analysis, a Review

“…IMUs can also be used for the evaluation of free jumping performances during regular breeding. Ricard et al [ 83 ] used an IMU sensor (Equimetrix ® ) to estimate the correlation between the genetic component of jumping ability and the jumping performance during a breeding program. Jump duration and judgement scores were heritable and genetically correlated to competition performance: 0.59 (standard error [SE]: 0.13) for jump duration and 0.60 (SE: 0.11) −0.77 (SE: 0.12) for judgement scores [ 83 ].…”